SpaceX founder Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of Starlink that Ukraine said plagued its military operations in recent days, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing "U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had complained of apparent problems with the satellite technology, which Ukraine uses to coordinate its operations. The product is often confused with Starshield, which is military-grade product. Musk, for his part, indicated that Starshield is under the control of the Pentagon and that he could not have interfered with its operations.

He also indicated that Starlink is a civilian product and is not permissible for offensive military action.

The issue comes at a time when relations between the U.S. and Ukraine have soured, with President Donald Trump calling for Zelensky to hold elections to choose a replacement.

Much of the tension stems from Trump's demands that Ukraine cease targeting Russian energy facilities in the wake of a deal with Moscow to inject diesel into global markets.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.